Standing up for policing in the West Midlands

On Wednesday 21st July I attended the Police Federation Constable’s Committee reception in order to meet with the representative body of the 110,000 police constables of England and Wales and discuss the challenging times ahead for policing. The federation is committed to maintaining the number of warranted police constables in England and Wales and to upholding the office of the constable as the bedrock of modern policing.

The week before I was able to express the views held by me and many of our constituents in the House of Commons, particularly regarding the prospect of electing police commissioners and the financial burden this will lay on our area: with £50 million being pumped into the scheme at the same time as £7 million is being slashed from the West Midlands Police budget it is clear the government is not prioritising the safety of our streets but the politicising of the police. Our priorty is to protect our citizens by using our funds and resources to tackle crime and not wasting £50 million on Government experiments; that's £50 million that could be spent on policing, on protecting the people of Selly Oak. I worry about the start the government has made, and I worry about the signal they are sending on crime.I also voiced concern over the further financial strain placed on the Midlands Police Force by making them foot the bill of £800,000 to police the Tory Party conference that is being held in Birmingham in October. Furthermore, the government has failed to confirm that it will contribute to the cost of policing the Pope's visit, as is customary in these situations.